$72,000 in NYC vs $50,000 in DET -- worth it? Tech jobs? (New York: apartment, rental)

[daytwa]

I posted a thread earlier about getting an interview in NYC -- well, I finally got the offer from the company and it's a bit lower than I expected.

It's $72,000, for a software engineering position.

For comparison, I currently make $50,000 in Detroit. This affords me a nice rental duplex in a nice inner ring suburb a mile out from the city, with a big yard, nice early 20th century homes, and decent nightlife. I never have to worry about money or my bills. My monthly rent is $450 because I share the place with a roommate(whom I've known for five years) and my fiancee.

I really like the idea of living in NYC. I love Detroit, but there's no arguing that it's been on the down and out for a while now.

I don't think $72,000 is enough to continue my lifestyle in NYC, though. And I'm not sure it's worth me moving.

I'll be moving with just my fiancee to a 1BR. I don't feel comfortable living with a roommate that I haven't previously known; I've had bad experiences before and heard plenty of horror stories.

So for a 1BR in a decent neighborhood(I'm thinking Astoria, Queens or Carroll Gardens, BK) it'll run me about $1,500/month.

How much are food costs in NYC? I cook most of my meals, and I eat out about once a week.

I currently have a car -- a 2005 VW Jetta, 60,000 miles on it, and it's "VW Certified Preloved" still. I think I could get about $12,000 for it here in Detroit. Do cars sell for more in NYC? I know most people in NYC take public transit, but I saw a ****ton of cars on the road when I visited for the interview

Is $72,000 even enough to consider living in NYC? I don't want to live in a dangerous area; I don't now, and don't really want to.

My fiancee is still working on her undergraduate degree(hopefully she'll be able to transfer to NYU or something, she's very smart and has good grades) so she'll find a job but it will be considerably less well paying than mine. About how much per hour do you generally expect for unskilled labor in NYC? Like, working in a bagel shop, for instance(what she does now) gets her $11/hour.

What do you guys think? Will I be able to continue my lifestyle in NYC?

Also, a side note -- what's the job market like for software developers out there? Could I possibly find a situation my friend who recently moved to Boston for a job, and then found a new one paying considerably more within a month?

Thanks, all. I have a lot to think about in the coming weeks... I'm really, really miserable about my job and want to find another one, and unfortunately there aren't really many tech jobs in Detroit.

[gonetoelpaso]

50k will take you further in Detroit

[Design7]

$72,000 a year will certainly not buy you the lifestyle you currently have. You will be paying at least $1600 a month for a decent apartment in one of the outerboroughs (think Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx) and your car insurance will most likely double. Eating in Manhattan can be expensive. Figure about $5 per day for take out breakfast and $7-10 pr day for take out lunch minimum. If you have a lifestyle you enjoy in Detroit, hold on to it. Visit New York and spend a few bucks here and then go back home to your $450 per month duplex.

[daytwa]

Originally Posted by Design7

your car insurance will most likely double.

That's why I was planning on dumping the car.

Thanks for the advice. I really want to move to NYC, but don't want to be cash-strapped.

[Henna]

It really depends on how much you want to move. Just figure out the budget issues very carefully. Spend more time on this board reading past threads. Use search terms like groceries, budget, 70K, etc. and do the search in google with a limit to return items from this site only

such as Let me google that for you (http://tinyurl.com/2ufhwhn - broken link)

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=budget+nyc+site%3Acity-data.com

[tpk-nyc]

You know you're going to take a huge lifestyle hit. The only reason to move to New York is because you really want to live in New York. This city is crammed with ambitious people and you sound ambivalent at best. If you want to maintain your lifestyle but improve your job prospects you'd be better off in a city like Dallas or Atlanta.

On the other hand, many people would love to have a job offer in New York right now. Also, if you're going to move, it's best to do it before you have kids.

Another thing to consider is that employers are snobs. If they see New York or your resume it more marketable elsewhere.

[daytwa]

Originally Posted by tpk-nyc

You know you're going to take a huge lifestyle hit. The only reason to move to New York is because you really want to live in New York. This city is crammed with ambitious people and you sound ambivalent at best. If you want to maintain your lifestyle but improve your job prospects you'd be better off in a city like Dallas or Atlanta.

Yezzir. I am ambitious, I just want that $200,000 salary... that's what I'm trying to figure out how to make. Until I hit that, it just doesn't seem worth it.

A friend might be hooking me up with a nice $75,000 job in Boston -- where $75,000 is actually a considerable improvement over the $50,000 I make in DET.

Any NYC banks hiring software engineers? I won't let your traders accidentally trade in billions instead of millions

[Dewdroplet76]

I don't know - to me it would be worth the move just because I love NYC. It's a great city to live in and I would take a hit on my lifestyle in order to be here. But that's just my opinion.

[daytwa]

Originally Posted by Dewdrop93

I don't know - to me it would be worth the move just because I love NYC. It's a great city to live in and I would take a hit on my lifestyle in order to be here. But that's just my opinion.

Yeah, I know, it's a really tough decision. I did some Googling around these forums but I can't really find good info on how much my utilities(gas, electricity, internet, no need for cable tv) would cost...

astoria, queens

MONTHLY INCOME:
Take-home pay: $3589.84

MONTHLY EXPENSES:
Rent: $1,600.00
Utilities: $140.00
Groceries: $300.00
Cell Phone: $100.00
MetroCard: $76.00
Misc.: $400.00 ($100/wk)
Total Expenses: $2,616.00

INCOME - EXPENSE:
973.84

detroit

MONTHLY INCOME:
Take-home pay: $2787.04

MONTHLY EXPENSES:
Rent: $450.00
Utilities: $130.00
Groceries: $368.17
Cell Phone: $100.00
Auto Insurance: $83.00
Misc. Auto Expenses (Gas, etc.) $100.00
Misc.: $400.00 ($100/wk)
Total Expenses: $1,631.17

INCOME - EXPENSE:
1155.87



do those numbers look reasonable for NYC?

[uniqueinvest]

Living here in Nyc can be very expensive. However, this also depends on what kind of lifestyle you have. You should be able to live comfortably on $72,000 per year.